NALGONDA: With two residents of Lingalagudem in Kanagal mandal finding a bundle of cloth containing a toy and a piece of paper with names, tension gripped the village over suspicions of sorcery. Sources said the piece of paper contained the names of family members of P Venkanna and D Narasimha.
Venkanna said when a similar incident had occurred six months ago, his cattle had died at that time. When the bundle was found again on Monday, he said he burned it without opening it.
Narasimha also discovered a similar bundle at his house, which contained turmeric, kumkum, navadanyalu, lemons and a paper listing the names of his family members. He took a video before burning the bundle. Both Venkanna and Narsimha alleged that someone of performing sorcery on their families.
Upon hearing about the incident, former district president of the Jana Vigyan Vedika State Committee, Vavireddy Chandrasekhar Reddy, visited the village to raise awareness against superstitions.
Speaking on the occasion, he alleged that certain individuals were exploiting the vulnerabilities of villagers by planting such items to instil fear. He urged the police to take immediate action to prevent any further unrest in the village and called on the government to organise more awareness programmes to combat superstitions.
It must be noted that a 45-year-old woman was recently burnt alive over suspicion of being a black magic practitioner. Meanwhile, residents of the Mahabubabad district recently stopped a group of people performing rituals near a forest suspecting witchcraft.
Names of kin, vermilion, lemons in bundle
A resident, Narasimha, discovered a bundle at his house, which contained turmeric, kumkum, navadanyalu, lemons and a paper listing the names of his family members.